EVANSTON, Ill. — The Penn State defense allowed over 200 yards of rushing to Northwestern in the first half as the upset-minded Wildcats rumbled over the Nittany Lions on Friday night.
Northwestern rushed for 237 yards on 25 carries in the first half, averaging an eye-popping 9.5 yards per carry.
Running back Joseph Himon II led the way with 134 yards on just five carries, including a 38-yard touchdown and a 47-yarder that set up another. He scored three touchdowns in the half, as Northwestern went into the break up, 24-7. His career high entering Friday night was only 87 yards.
Caleb Komolafe added 89 yards on 12 carries, and Gavin Sawchuk had 12 yards on four carries. Quarterback Aidan Chiles lost six yards on three attempts.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Penn State only gave up 200 rushing yards in an entire game twice in 2025 — 269 at UCLA and 245 at Iowa. The Nittany Lions lost both of those games.
The last time Penn State allowed 200 rushing yards in a half was in 2022 against Michigan. In that game, the Wolverines rushed for a total of 418 yards and had 250 in the second half. Donovan Edwards finished that game with 179 yards rushing.
The Lions, meanwhile, struggled to move the ball on the ground in the first half, with three ball-carries combining to rush for just 28 yards.
